I just received a very meaningful article published by Steven Chia in his blog at Channel NewsAsia website; thought I like to share with you ….
START I’ve just come back from Melbourne having spent about 2 weeks there. It’s a trip we make about twice a year since my wife’s parents live there. So it’s nice to have family to go back to but I think this particular trip was special also because my in laws are quite a bit older. (My father in law is in his 90s!) It’s special because I think Lucy (my two and a half year old) was able to energize the house. She was a “noise maker”, but in a good way because I think she really gave them a new lease of life and of course, being grandparents, they doted on her – which she loved!
It’s also been an eye opener because you begin to see what it’s like for parents when all their children have left home and they are left on their own. My wife is from a family of 6 kids so you can just imagine the kind of “noise” that occurred on a daily basis. Then suddenly, it’s all gone, one day you realize the house is quiet and you’re back to where you were before the kids came. And it’s not like you prepared for it. You were so busy with raising the family and working that it creeps up on you and it just surprises you one day.
I got a small taste of that in the lead up to this trip because my wife and daughter had gone up 2 weeks ahead of me. So for 2 weeks, I was on my own. I left an empty house and I came back to an empty house and it really wasn’t the same. It felt like the house was far too big and pointless. Again a reminder that it’s not much point having all these material “luxury” goods if you don’t get to enjoy it with anyone.
And the great thing about kids is that they are not picky. They don’t judge people before they’ve met them. They don’t see age, race, gender…it’s all the same to them, so there is no discrimination. That’s why we speak about the innocence and purity of youth, unfortunately, it’s something that fades with time and we can’t “bring it back” no matter how hard we try to. Once you’ve been hurt, been let down, been disappointed by others, you can’t help but be more skeptical about the world.
It’s funny because it seems the more we learn, the worst life seems to get. From a very simplistic point of view, ignorance is bliss and life without all the complications of being an adult really is a lot more enjoyable. Think of a kid’s life…eat, sleep, play, eat, play, sleep…never a care in the world, how great is that!
So once again this time off has made me treasure my family more. I’m reminded of the importance of spending time with the people you care about. Too often we get caught up in the desire to achieve more, to earn more, to have better stuff…but do we really need it? Think of the happiest times you’ve had with your family or your loved ones…did that really cost you a lot of money? And imagine how great it would be if you could spend more time having those “moments” than spending lots of money later on trying to “recreate” those moments. A moment cannot be replaced or replicated. That’s why it’s a moment, that’s why it’s special.
The way I see it, I’m going to try and grab as many of those moments as I can…
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"It’s the little things you do that can make a big difference. What are you attempting to accomplish? What little thing can you do today that will make you more effective? You are probably only one step away from greatness." – Bob Proctor